Healthcare and Universal Coverage

The constitution is always brought up when discussing whether healthcare is a right or a privilege. “ If we interpreted our Constitution correctly, America was built on the principle that government exists to protect our rights that already exist, not dictate what rights we have, do not have or should have,” (Williams,2012).

I do not thing that healthcare is a right or a privilege. If referring to the constitution, it states “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Our nation was built on the notion of the free market. Healthcare is provided through public and private sectors. “f we want to live out the liberties granted to us by our Founders, we should reserve our right to purchase healthcare on the free market, allowing opportunities for those to purchase at affordable rates, not by allowing healthcare controlled by bureaucrats,” (Williams, 2012).

The problem comes due to our entitlement generation. I do believe that basic health needs should be given to all people. Due to constant medical and technological growth, healthcare is more expensive and more advanced. I do not think that all advanced medicine needs to be provided equally to all people. Basic healthcare needs to be identified and provided for all individuals, but the individual can purchase “luxury” healthcare at leisure. Our generation feels that they are entitled to every aspect of healthcare. The healthcare market is a business like any other and the conglomerates and insurance companies want to make money, mostly at the expense of the physicians. In a perfect world “incentives are in alignment among providers, patients, and society…The Institute of Medicine’s goal to forge a healthcare system that is safe, effective, patient centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.” Unfortunately, the intrinsic incentives for system components (doctors, hospitals, and patients) necessary to…...

Similar Documents

...Universal Healthcare in the United States
Larrissa McBride
HCS 235
Monday January 23, 2012
Margaret Meador
Universal Healthcare in the United States
Healthcare is on the minds of every American in today’s society. Everyone worries about what they will do to afford healthcare and even if they will receive healthcare. America has some of the greatest technological advances and in trained professionals. However, American only ranks 20th in life expectancy and we rank almost the lowest in healthcare availability to its citizens. This causes me to believe that American needs to adopt some type of universal healthcare reform.
According to the department of Health and Human Services the United States is one of the only industrialized countries to not give every individual healthcare coverage and access. The United States currently has a system of government sponsored and private insurance companies. The “poor” Americans fall under the care of government based programs. Those who are poor but are considered too wealthy for government sponsored programs are forced to turn to for-profit insurance companies. These for profit companies have strict guidelines and or co-payments and are likely to turn down medical care for any reason they see fit without explanation. I feel that some kind of universal health care system would regulate and control these organizations and could potentially save billions.
Currently in the United States a large majority of citizens are uninsured.......

...Universal health care (UHC) coverage is a highly controversial issue all over the world, but of special interest in the United States. The U.S. is considered one of the few truly industrialized nations in the world which does not provide some form of comprehensive health care coverage for its citizens. This paper will examine some of the arguments and data against a universal health care.
The U.S. has been in turmoil over the topic of Universal Health Care for some time now. The idea sounds simple enough; government provides coverage for everyone, rich or poor and everyone gets the services they require. However, many citizens may think twice about such a program when they look into the details of how it is funded and delivered to the public.
One proposal, popular among many on the political left, is “Medicare for All,” a proposal that would put most, if not all, Americans under the auspices of the government-run health insurance program for the elderly and disabled. Before the U.S. adopts such a system, it is important to evaluate these claims. Taxes and the price of anything medical would sky rocket! This would make everyone unhappy.
Before getting in too deep in this subject it is important to understand the term Universal Health Care (UHC). Universal health care refers to government mandated programs intended to ensure that all citizens, and sometimes permanent residents, of a governmental region have access to most types of health care. Patients may pay......

...What role does early American history have to play in the quest for Universal Health Coverage in the U.S. during the 20th century?
Fiona Nelson-Lafuse
ENG122
Emily Fancy
18th February 2013
INTRODUCTION
The topic question for this research paper is, “Most developed countries have universal health coverage. Why doesn’t the United States have universal health coverage? There have been repeated attempts by many different legislators over the past 150 years to introduce some form of universal health coverage to this country; and given the successive failures, it seems crucial to investigate early American history to uncover the origins of this steadfast resistance to universal health coverage; and gain an understanding of the impact those early citizens have had from the time of the Constitution on down through subsequent generations in their quest to keep universal health care off the legislative table.
Despite the fact that the Constitution does not explicitly provide for universal healthcare, and there has been constant resistance to any attempts to bring it in, during the period 1900 - 1920, it seemed likely universal health coverage would pass into law – then at the last moment it failed. In the period between 1902 and 1965, 19 attempts were made to push universal health care coverage into legislation; and before this paper moves on to examine the role of social, political and commercial interests in these failures, it is important to consider...

...The United States having universal healthcare
Michelle Garbarino
Eng 122
James Meetze
February. 25, 2013
Should the United States have Universal Healthcare?
The question of Universal Healthcare in the United States has valid and non valid arguments with supporters on both sides of the issue. Millions of Americans do not have affordable health care insurance. The main question is who is responsible to provide this? Is it feasible for government to pay for the lack of health care by taxpayer’s dollars? Should you be responsible for yourselves or should you be compensated by the government? Unemployment is at record high making health insurance less attainable or affordable than ever. In most cases, additional restrictions or taxes will be placed on goods and services to pay for the Universal Health Care plan. By addressing each side of the argument and discussing the benefits, risks, and effects of Universal Health Care in the United States a fair conclusion can be made. The Arguments for Universal Healthcare in the United States, Rising health care cost has made it difficult to maintain adequate health care and eventually has driven many Americans into bankruptcy (Frosch, Dan, 2005). More than 62% of the individuals who filed bankruptcy filed because of medical expenses and 78% who filed had medical insurance. The high cost of medical expenses today often drives many families into bankruptcy because they cannot afford the high expense of medical costs,"......

...Sunnie Merritt
English102 (online)
Expository Essay
July 29, 2010
Confusion Over the US Health Reform Bill
The latest poll out today from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health-care-policy research organization, says only 27 percent of the public has been following the 2010 health reform debate closely. Despite this, more than half (56 percent) of Americans think health reform is more important than ever. Very smart people are zoning out of the health care reform debate because they think it’s just too complicated. The complexities of US health reform are a problem, because American citizens and politicians cannot make good decisions about an issue they do not clearly understand or have been misinformed.
Defining the goals of reform is relatively easy. Implementing them is tough and that’s where people are made to feel stupid - partly by special interest groups who intentionally or unintentionally confuse the debate. According to John Lapook in an article posted on CBS News.com, at least one senator admits he has no intention of reading it. "I don't expect to actually read the legislative language because . . . the legislative language is among the more confusing things I've ever read in my life," Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.) quotes to online news service in the article. Carper told CBSnews.com that the bill was "incomprehensible" and "hard stuff to understand. Carper stated he doubts his fellow members of the Senate Finance Committee will read their......

...14, 2012
Should the United States Have Universal Healthcare?
According to the Institute of Medicine there will be 18,000 unnecessary deaths this year, in the United States. This is solely because we as Americans have a healthcare system that leaves millions of citizens with no health insurance. There are 54.5 million people in the U.S. that are most uninsured or have poor health coverage. These citizens are left to decide whether they should spend thousands of dollars on a medical visit or hope the body fixes itself. We are supposed to have one of the greatest healthcare systems in the world, most of us believe anyway. However, the U.S. was ranked 37th out 191 countries, right in between Costa Rica (36) and Slovenia (38) on the World Health Organization (WHO) healthcare list in 2000. The United States was behind almost all of the other first world countries in the world and it was a far cry away from France who was held at number one, with Universal Healthcare. This was the first complete list of how all of the countries provide healthcare.
Americans are denied everyday for healthcare coverage, if it is not provided through your job chances are you will be denied at least once, if not more by a healthcare provider. But who has the right to tell you whether or not you are allowed to have health insurance? All of us use it, some more or less than others, but every single person sees a doctor, so why can’t we have universal healthcare? Health care is a human right, it would...

...Analysis of Bill: Universal Healthcare Act
The purpose of this analysis is to discuss the impact bill HB0942, Illinois Universal Healthcare Act, will have on the healthcare system in Illinois. This bill will allow easy healthcare access to all individuals living within the state. While there are many positives that can result from this new bill, there are also unintended consequences that could arise that must be taken into consideration. Many groups currently oppose the bill, yet others offer full support and hope to see it in action soon. Funding is a major issue since all citizens of Illinois will be covered by the plan. There are specific provisions included within HB0942 which range from medical services to long term care to job placement for anyone affected.
Overview of the Problem
Today, many Illinoisans are facing an enormous problem: the rising cost of healthcare. Currently, our state’s medical care cost, as of all America, is outrageously expensive while the quality of care is inadequate compared to other countries around the world. Using the latest statistics by the Physicians for a National Health Program Illinois (PNHP), approximately 1.8 million of the 13 million citizens of Illinois are lacking healthcare coverage ("A Single-Payer Statewide," 2013). It is very clear that the system the state is currently using is not working. For this reason, a new bill is in the process of being passed.
The rising cost and lack of access to healthcare is......

...COMMENTARY
Long on Aspiration, Short on Detail
Report on Universal Health Coverage
Sujatha Rao
The recommendations of the Planning Commission’s High Level Expert Group on Access to Universal Healthcare are significant because they make explicit the need to contextualise health within the rights. However, the problem with the report is that it does not ask why many of the same recommendations that were made by previous committees have not been implemented. The HLEG neither recognises the problems, constraints and compulsions at the national, state and district levels nor offers any solutions on how to deal with them.
I
The author is grateful to Sunil Nandraj for his insightful comments and suggestions which helped in writing this article. Sujatha Rao (ksujatharao@hotmail.com) is a former secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
n October 2010 the Planning Com­ mission constituted the High Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The group in its report submitted in late 2011 made sev­ eral recommendations pertaining to human resources for health, access to drugs, social determinants of health, governance, financing, and people’s par­ ticipation. A majority of the recommen­ dations find resonance in earlier expert committee reports. The recommendations made in earlier reports include universal health cover­ age as a right of every citizen (Bhore, 1946; constantly raised by civil society); increasing public......

...I will argue for a universal healthcare system in the United States through a comparison of feminist ethics and traditional ethics. I find that the following considerations from Virginia Held’s Ethics of Care, and Kant’s view on autonomy provide a convincing argument for universal healthcare coverage.
Held
In Virginia Held’s Ethics of Care, she makes six distinct statements on care ethics through a feminist point of view.
1.) “Moralities built on the image of the independent, autonomous, rational individual largely overlook the reality of human dependence and the morality for which it calls.” (Camp, 2011:48)
Held is describing how interdependence is primary and one is not in control of caretaking relationships. The majority of caretaking relationships are not chosen (parents and siblings) and we have a responsibility of care to these unchosen relations. We are all interdependent on each other, not autonomous. An argument relating to health care according to the view presented by Held on feminine ethics directly confirms the point that we are not autonomous beings: “Children in particular are harmed by familial stress and developmental delays from not receiving health care, both of which can lead to behavioral problems and loss of potential. When one member is uninsured or becomes ill, there is a financial burden put on the rest of the family” (http://www.amsa.org). Universal health care coverage would allow for this family burden of stress and finances to be......

...Universal Health Coverage: A Possibility for the United States
Brittannie DePew
Eng 122
David Moskowitz
9/21/2013
Medical costs are getting too expensive. Ever fought with your insurance providers because they refused to pay for care, or struggle to find an “in-network” provider? I know a woman whose name I will change for her privacy and the struggles she is going through are a perfect example of an issue many people face when dealing with insurance; Nancy’s (name changed for privacy) story is a perfect example of how our healthcare system is no longer working for the people. Nancy is this woman whose husband recently passed away. Nancy used to work for county and county workers cannot receive social security; and Nancy is too young for Medicaid by six years. Unfortunately, when Nancy’s husband passed away her healthcare began to go with him. Unless Nancy can find a way to pay the provider over a thousand dollars a month Nancy will lose her health care, because it was healthcare provided through her husband. She has tried searching for other providers but she cannot get the same coverage for any less money, when she found a couple that were close to the same coverage they did not accept pre-existing medical conditions. As a matter in fact many companies do not accept pre-existing medical providers. There are no options for Nancy; and that is wrong. There are many reasons why the United States should seriously consider Universal healthcare.
Universal healthcare should...

...The right to health care coverage
Nickolai Shaner
XBCOM/275
June 7, 2014
Rhonda Curry
The right to health care coverage
The right to health care coverage has long been a debate within our government. Those that worked part time, were indigent or were healthy chose the path of no insurance. Unfortunately, things happen, tragedy strikes and if one does not have health care then the unthinkable happens. According to statistics nearly one-third of Americans do not have health insurance (Glied, n.d.). That individual will accrue hundreds or thousands of dollars of debt that can cripple them financially forever. There are varying degrees of advantages of government health care coverage versus private health care coverage. We will look at the role that the government has played thus far in providing universal health care and how successful that may be.
According to "Where Can I Read The Affordable Care Act?" (n.d.),The Affordable Care Act was introduced and passed into law in 2010. President Obama had made strides to over healthcare to every individual in the United States. Over the past four years there have been many attempts to nullify and repeal the act but there have been many praises of the act as well. For individuals that had individual healthcare this has not been a welcome law. Many people feel that government should not be involved in healthcare as a general......

...A Case Against Universal Health Care
Melody Hicks
MHA-620 Health Policy Analyses
Dr. Martha Plant
February 23, 2015
Change within the healthcare industry is occurring at an exponential rate. Although change is not new to healthcare, the underlying reasons for change are diverse compared to other industries. Consumer perception that healthcare is a right has inspired regulatory changes that affect both access and quality of care, adding to the already escalating costs. The entry of investor-owned companies into the acute-care markets in the late 1960s has created a challenging and changing healthcare environment, which threatens the survival of those unable to adjust to the trends of the industry (Johnson, 2009).
Other factors contributing to unpredictable changes in the healthcare industry include the exclusive expertise of the providers, the physician/hospital relationship and related referral patterns, the absence of a traditional competitive market, and the fragmentation of the industry. The concept of change is far too broad to justify any one definition. Extenuating circumstances and unpredictable shifts within the healthcare industry require a strategic management model that addresses both change and changing. Visionary leaders must be alert to external change and have the organization prepared to respond by changing internally. Consequently, everyone in the organization plays a role in change management. Among the many definitions of change reported...

...“Universal Healthcare”
Synopsis:
The essay, “A Universal Healthcare System: Is It Right for The United States?” by Marleise Rashford describes the positive effect of universal healthcare. In the essay she explains how a universal healthcare system will help this country. The United States is the only industrialize nation that does not provide healthcare for its citizens. She criticizes the American healthcare system. “The current American system cost too much, cover too little and excludes too many” according to Rashford. Marleise Rashford emphasizes that money is not the issue why America has not reform its health system. Corruption, lobbyist, and private insurances are the ones responsible for this. The essay mentions that 45 million Americans are uninsured.
This essay will analyze and critique Rashford’s essay. I support the universal healthcare system. The United States is the only industrialized nation without universal healthcare. The United States ranks poorly compare to other industrialized nations on healthcare. Universal healthcare will cover all the American citizens. It will benefit the underprivileged citizens of this country. American citizens will have a longer life expectancy. Infant mortality rates will decrease.
The United States is the only industrialized nation without......